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Quetzel Carthach
Traitor Legion]] Quetzel Carthach, also known as the "Angelbane," was a notorious Chaos Lord of the Alpha Legion active in the Maelstrom Zone of the Ultima Segmentum. His army, the so-called "Sons of the Hydra," was a great coalition of Heretic Astartes warbands and allied Chaos Cultists united by their common hatred of the Imperium of Man. Very little is known about him, and as always when dealing with the illusive Alpha Legion, what information can be gathered may well be fabrications and lies. Quetzel Carthach is believed to have been killed on the world of Vitrea Mundi, slain with the vast majority of his troops after he captured the fortress-monastery of Ba-Silica, the seat of power of the Marines Mordant Space Marine Chapter. History Amongst his self-appointed titles, Carthach referred to himself as "Master of Harrows" which may be a reference to the ancient title of Harrowmaster the Great Crusade-era Alpha Legion once used for its Praetors. In fact, the Harrowing was a special military tactic employed by the Alpha Legion during which its Astartes would force their opponent's hands by creating certain situations that would influence the course of battle in the Alpha Legion's favor. Manipulated to pursue a path of action that led to his own defeat, the enemy invariably found himself surrounded and attacked from all sides before the killing blow came, preferably from an unexpected quarter. During a Harrowing, the Alpha Legion did not hesitate to commit acts of sabotage, assassination, coerce high-ranking military personnel to commit treachery, disguise their own troops as the enemy or even influence the weather to force the outcome they desired. These are all elements that can be found in the strategy Carthach employed against the forces of the Imperium. On Vitrea Mundi, the homeworld of the Marines Mordant, Carthach's army did not hesitate to use chemical weapons to achieve its goals. Turncoat Planetary Defence Forces unleashed a chemical reaction in Vitrea Mundi's great soda-lakes, which began to spew a cloud of highly acidic fog around the planetary capital of Salina City, where the Marines Mordant's fortress-monastery, the Bas-Silica, was located. Pandemonium erupted, with hordes of civilians pressing themselves at the fortress-monastery's gates, imploring Chapter Master Tarro Pallidax to allow them in. When the honorable Chapter Master agreed to open his stronghold's gate, Carthach's army stormed the fortress, taking it in a matters of solar hours. But Pallidax had ordered the Mariens Mordant's only remaining Battle Barge, the Assiduous, to open fire on the doomed fortress-monastery. To facilite the attack, Pallidax lowered the Bas-Silica's Void Shields. However, the Alpha Legion had already foreseen that the Loyalists would attempt this strategy and the Redacted warband under the command of Occam the Untrue had successfully overwhelmed the command crew of the Assiduous not long after Pallidax's final order had been received. However, Occam believed that Carthach intended to ultimately betray and slay him, so he allowed the Assifuous to carry out the Chapter Master's final orders. The orbital bombardment razed the Bas-Silica to the ground, killing friend and foe alike. Carthach was believed to be among the dead. Personality Quetzel Carthach always pretended to be one of the true sons of Alpharius, a founding member of the Alpha Legion and who was present on Eskrador when the XX Legion's Primarch was supposedly slain by Roboute Guilliman, the Primarch of the Ultramarines Legion. Carthach never forgave the Ultramarines for the death of his Primarch, and the Chaos Lord embarked on a quest for vengeance directed against the Ultramarines and their Successor Chapters. It was this venture that earned him the surname of "Angelbane," for Carthach's vendetta bore bloody fruit: the utter destruction of no less than four Chapters of Loyalist Space Marines of Ultramarines lineage. Quetzel Carthach is held responsible for the destruction of the Crimson Consuls, the Vindicators, the Nova Legion and lastly the Marines Mordant. What made Carthach's war on the Imperium so dangerous was his ability to unite different warring Chaos factions into a cohesive fighting force. Be they space pirates or Renegade Space Marines, true scions of the Traitor Legions or deranged Chaos Cultists, turn-coat Astra Militarum or even xenos, the Angelbane convinced them all to fight for him. Sons of the Hydra Heretic Astartes Warbands *'The Chain Unbroken' - The Chain Unbroken was an Alpha Legion warband led by Captain Naetrix Krayt. *'The Honourless' - The Honourless was an Alpha Legion warband led by Sisyphon Vail. *'The Kyndred' - The Kyndred was an Alpha Legion warband of Possessed Chaos Space Marines led by Vhospis Voyteq. *'The Redacted' - The Redacted was a war-cell of the Alpha Legion and other Renegade Space Marines led by Occam the Untrue. Chaos Cults *'The Seventh Sons' - The Seventh Sons was a Death Cult in service to the Ruinous Powers from the penal colonies of Corsino 421. Xenos Mercenaries *'Tarellian Dog-Soldiers' *'Morralian Deathsworn' *'Galg Freedom Fighters' *'Fra'al Marauders' *'Sslyth Warriors' *'Eldar Corsairs' Sources *''Sons of the Hydra'' (Novel) by Rob Sanders, "α The Serpent's Egg," "β Spitting Venom," "γ Turning Tail" Category:Q Category:Chaos Characters Category:Characters Category:Chaos Category:Chaos Space Marines Category:Alpha Legion